Grinding machine



Jan. 12 ,192s. 1,569,036 I R. F. RUNGE GRINDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1923 -2 St =$i 2- lill lll'l llIIIIIIIIIIH 'IIII Patented Jan. 12, 1.9263.

UNITED STATES ROBERT IE. RUNGE, 0F FOREST HILLS, NEIV YORK.

GRINDING MACHINE.

Application filed September 14, 19-23.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronnrrr F. RUNGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Forest Hills, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grinding Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates primarily to a. machine for grin-ding, in quantity production, longitudinally curved bodies of revolution such as rollers for roller' bearings. In the preferred form a plurality of oscillatory work holders are revolved adjacent the path of rotation of a grinding wheel. The invention being adaptable either for grinding symmetrical rollers or those in which the largest diameter is at one end or the other, the position of the largest diameter is, of course, determined by the location of the center of oscillation relative to the center of the workpiece. In the illustrated form of mechanism for grinding unsymmetrical rollers the largest diameter of the roller is produced at the point which is on a plan-e intersecting the axis of oscillation of the work holder and disposed at right angles to the axis of rotation of the workpiece.

In the drawings forming part of this application one practicable embodiment of my invention is illustrated, in which drawings Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical central section of the principal parts of the machine.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the machine upon a smaller scale than is Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view partly in cross section and partly in plan of a portion of the driving wheel mechanism, and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of a workpiece and holder.

In the drawing the work head is shown provided with four work holders. In prac tice, however, there will be a large numberv of work holders, but for simplicity of illustration a lesser number has been selected for showing in the present drawings. Also for convenience instead of following the conventional course of starting the description with the prime motor and advancing to the point of operation, I shall commence with a detailed description at the workpiece, 5, in the form of a body of revolution which, in the illustration, is a roller of the so-called unsymmetrical barrel-shaped Serial No. 662,659.

type, that is, it is an anti-friction bearing roller which is curved longitudinally so that it tape-rs from a central location toward the ends, the larger diameter being nearer one end than the other. These workpieces or rollers are supported for rotation on their own axes in oscillatory work holders, 6, carried by a rotary head, 7. Each of the work holders oscillates toward and from the centre of rotation of such head and in thegeneral direction of the axis of the workpiece which it holds. The oscillatory movement is, preferably radial to the orbit of revolution of the workpieces and substantially radial to the path of rotation of the grinding wheel, 8. The two orbits are somewhat eccentric because the shaft, 9, of the grinding wheel is preferably disposed eccentrically to the shaft, 10, of the work carrier head.

Each of the work holders, 6, is shown extending above and below its axis of oscillation represented by the pivot 11. The upper endhas two upstanding fingers, 12 and 13, the finger, 12, being shown provided with a fixed or positioning center pin or' work-engaging device, 14, and the finger, 13, with a longitudinally movable center pin or work-engaging device, 15, this latter being pressed toward the workpiece by some I suitable means, as for instance, a leaf spring 16. The workpiece is assumed to be provided with suitable center punches or other depressions. This mode of supporting the work for rotation upon itsown geometrical axis is the simplest where center, punches are permissible, but it is quite obvious from the description and appended claims that other expedients may be resorted to for supporting the work as occasion may demand. It will be noticed especially bv reterence to Figure 4 that the plane, represented by a line 113, upon which the axis of oscillation 111, is located, and which is at right angles to the axis of rotation 112, of the work piece, as represented by a line drawn between the points of the pins, 14 and 15, is nearer one of these pins than the other. The position occupied by this plane in respect of the pins, or rather the ends of the work held thereby controls'the position of the largest diameter of the workpiece produced by this method of movement. In the present illustration the plane in question is disposed nearer the pin, 14, consequently, the end of the workpiece supported by this pin, that is, the end which is adjacent the finger,

12, is, when ground, of larger diameter than the opposite end and the largest diameter of thmz.1 finished roller is located adjacent this en For the purpose of oscillating the work holders for causing the workpiece to reciprocate and present various parts of its longitudinal surface to the working point of the grinding wheel, the depending ends, 17 of the work holders are shown provided with rollers, 18, engaging a vertically reciprocatory cam, 19. This cam is preferably caused to rotate with the work holders and the work head, 7. The head, 7, is keyed to the shaft, 10, and the cam is splined to the same shaft. The rollers, 18, are shown held in engagement with the face of the cam, 19, by means of expansion springs, 20. Other means for rocking the workpieces across the face of the grinding wheel may be resorted to as occasion demands. A single uniform cam face of conical formation is very advantageous because it causes all the work holders to rock in unison and move the workpieces in the same direction whereby similar parts of all the rollers are being ground at any particular moment. And when the path of movement of the grinder is eccentric to the path of revolution of the workpieces the grinding wheel is subjected to more uniform wear than would otherwise be the case; in fact it will be substantially fiat as illustrated herein, the grinding wheel being practically self dressing.

The shaft, 10, is shown supported by a radial-thrust bearing, 21, and a radial bearing, 22, mounted in a suitable housing, 23, supported by the machine frame, the base of which is illustrated at 24:. There is shown fast upon the shaft, 10, a worm wheel, 25, meshing with the worm, 26, mounted on the shaft, 27, of a suitable motor, 28. The mechanism for supporting and rotating the shaft, 9, is not illustrated, nor has it been deemed necessary in this application to illustrate the gaging mechanism for indicating the grinding wheel movement and grinding wheel pressure, since such mechanisms can be of usual or other desired form.

With the mechanism proportioned and organized substantially as herein illustrated and adapted to operate upon properly shaped and pre-formed workpieces, the workpieces are caused to revolve in a circular orbit of varying diameter, the orbit dilating and contracting as the workpieces are rocked away from andtoward the center of the orbit which is the axis of the shaft, 10. To be absolutely exact each workpiece traverses an undulating path; Also the workpiece oscillates in a curved path or are on the axis 111 of the work holder, and the centre pins or workpiece-engaging devices on the work holder permit the workpiece to rotate on an axis which is always tangent to the arc of oscillation of the workpiece. At the time the workpiece approaches and arrives at its final finished form, that is, one in which its longitudinal curvature has for its center the center of oscillation, 111, of the work holder, the working points for all of the workpieces traverse a circular orbit of constant diameter having its center at theprolongation of the axis of the shaft, 10. This orbit is located on the grinding plane of the abrasivewheel 8, and is eccentric to the path of revolution of such abrasive wheel. v

A simple and strong form of mechanism is illustrated for'reciprocating the cam, 19, toward and from the grinding plane. This comprises apair of pinions, 29, fast upon the shaft, 27, and meshing with the gear wheels, 30, each of which is provided with a crank pin, 31, to each of which a link, 32, is connected. These links, 32, are pivoted to a ring, 33, which is connected to the cam member, 19, in such a manner that the ring may be held from participating in the rotation of the cam member, the connection in the p'resent instance being a combined radial and thrust ball bearing, the inner ring, 3%, of which is fast with the cam and the outer ring, 35, fast with the ring, 33, the balls, 36, constituting the movableconnecting memher.

This machine is adaptable and useful in operating upon workpieces both while they are soft, that is, before hardening and after the hardening operation, yet in practice I prefer to use it for grinding and finishing rollers after these have been preformed and hardened. It can also be employed to polish the rollers by substituting a polishing wheel for the grinder.

The following description ofthe operation of the machine is based upon the theory that the rollers have been partially formed, at least, and brought into a shape approximating the finished shape. The grinding head 80, and and the abrasive or grinding wheel 8 mounted thereon, are of course supported in some suitable or well known manner, whereby the shaft 9' and the head 80 are capable of being raised and lowered during the working of the machine, and are capable of being raised so far above the workpieces carried in the work holders 6. that the workpieces may be withdrawn and others inserted in position by springing outwardly the pin 15, inserting the workpiece between the fingers 12 and 13, and permitting the pins 14 and 15 to engage the centre punches therein; or by reversing this op eration, for the removal of the workpieces. In this application of the work the larger ends of the rollers, when unsymmetrical rollers are to be produced, are placed outward.

1y. If the machine is set up as illustrated the various parts of the machine are then restates stored to working positionand the grind ing wheel'brought into the proper grinding position "whereupon the shafts, 9 and 10, are caused to rotate reversely, the vertical movement of the'cam, 19, causing the work holder, 6, to oscillate radially of the head, 7, andotthe orbit of revolution, moving the workpieces" longitudinally of their axes of rotation. In the'mecha-nism illustrated the dwell between excursions of occsillation occurs while the extreme ends of the rollers are in engagementwith the grinding wheel. Bythis means thework is always in engagement with the grinder. In some classes of work it may be round desirable to move the workpiece entirely from engagement with the face of the grinder prior to the reversal of movement; The more uniform pressure between the grinder and the workpiece, however, is had in a machine organized like that illustrated anddescribed above.

It will be obvious that the mode above described for removing finished workpieces and replacing others in the work holders, is but oneof many expedients which may be resorted to for this purpose. The proper organization of the parts, such as could be effected by any skilled machine builder which would permit the lowering of the cam 19 to such an extent that the work carrying levers 6 would swing outwardly be yond the face of the grindling wheel 8., could be resorted to. Or the machine builders could readily reconstruct the machine so that the work holding head would lower the work holders sufficiently below the grinding face to permit the insertion and removal of the workpieces to be readily accomplished.

The machine shown herein is, of course, illustrative of my invention, and it is quite apparent that various changes in details of construction may be resorted to within the terms of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the class specified, the combination with a rotary abrasive member, of a work holder adapted torotatably support a workpiece, and means to rock the work holder in the direction of the axis of the rotation of the workpiece.

2. In a machine of the class specified, the combination with a substantially flat rotary abrasive member, of a work holder adapted to rotatably support a workpiece, and means to rock the work holder in the direction of the axis of the rotation of the workpiece for causing the various portions longitudinally of the workpiece to repeatedly pass a working point in the plane of movement of the abrasive member.

3. In a machine of the class specified, the combination with a rotary abrasive member, of a pivotally supported work holder adapted to rotatably support a workpiece,

meanstor orbitally moving the work holder, and means to rock the work holderin the direction of'the axis of the rotation of the workpiece for causing the various portions longitudinally of the workpiece to repeater-t ly pass-aworking point in the plane of movement of the grinder.

a. In a machine of the class s aecified, the

combination of a rotary abrasive member, a

rotary spider, a'plurality or work holders adapted to rotatably support workpieces and mounted to oscillate on said spider, and means for oscillating said workholders on their axes in the direction of the axes of the workpieces toward and from the centre of rotation of the spider to cause various portions of the workpiece to repeatedly pass a working pointin the plane of movement of the grinder. i

5. In a machine of the class specified, the combination with a rotary abrasive member, or a rotary spider, a plurality of work holders pivotally mounted upon thespider each adapted to rotatably support a workpiece, means for oscillating the w'ork'hold'ers toward and from the centre of rotationot the spider in the directionoi the axisof the rotation of the workpiece for causing various portions longitudinally of the workpiece to repeatedly pass a working point in the plane of movement of the grinder.

6. The combination with an annular grinder having a working surface rotatable in a substantially fixed plane, of a rotary carrier, a plurality of work holders oscillatable on said carrier and adapted to rotatably support workpieces, means for rotating the carrier to cause the workpieces to traverse an orbit on the working plane of the grinder, and means for oscillating the work holders in unison on their axes in the direction of the axes of the workpieces and radially of the axis of the grinder; whereby various portions of the length of the workpieces are presented successively to the working plane of the grinder.

7. The combination with an annular grinder having a working surface rotatable on a substantially fixed plane, of a plurality of Work holders adapted to carry work pieces, means for revolving the work holders to cause the workpieces to traverse an orbit eccentric to the orbit of the grinder, and means for oscillating the work holders in unison radially of their orbit to present various portions of the length or the work piece successively to the working plane of the grinder.

8. The combination with an annular grinder having a working surface rotatable in a substantially fixed plane, of a plurality of work holders, means for revolving the work holders to cause them to traverse an orbit eccentric to the orbit of the grinder, said work holders being constructed and adapted to rotatably hold bodies of revolution with their axes disposed radially of said orbit, and means for oscillating the work holders in unison radially of said orbit to present various portions of the length of said bodies of revolution successively to the working plane of the grinder.

9. In combination with an annular grinder having a working surface rotatable in a substantially fixed plane, of a plurality of work holders, means for revolving the work holders to cause them to traverse an orbit eccentric to the orbit of the grinder, the said work holders being constructed and adapted to hold bodies of revolution with their axes disposed radially of said orbit, and means for oscillating the work holders in unison radially of said orbit to cause Various portions of the length of the bodies of revolution to be presented successively to the working plane of the grinder, the orbit of the body of revolution at its point of engagement with the grinder being circular, and the orbit of the body of revolution as a whole being undulating, incident to the oscillation of the work holder.

10. The combination with an annular rotary grinder of a work holder having centre pins to rotatably support a workpiece, the holder being mounted to oscillate a workpiece across the face of the grinder radially of the orbit of the grinder, and

means for so oscillating the work holder.

12. In a machine of the class specified, the

combination of an abrasive member, a rotary carrier, and a series of work holders mounted thereon for oscillation toward and from the centre of rotation of the carrier, each of said work holders having workpieceengaging devices adapted to permit rotation of the workpiece on an axis tangential to the arc of oscillation of the workpiece.

In testimony whereof, I have aifixed my signature hereto.

ROBERT F. RUNGE. 

